Essential Medical Vocabulary and Health Concepts

Posted on Oct 7, 2025 in Medicine & Health

Essential Blood Terminology

  • Blood (Sangre): The red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans and other vertebrate animals, carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide.
  • Blood Cell (Glóbulo): Any of the kinds of cells normally found circulating in the blood.
  • Blood Type (Tipo de sangre): Another term for blood group.
  • Blood Donor (Donante de sangre): A person who gives blood for transfusion.
  • Blood Recipient (Receptores de sangre): The individual who receives blood or blood components from a donor.
  • Blood Transfusion (Transfusión): The process of transferring the blood of one person into the veins of another.
  • Blood Clots (Coágulos): A mass of blood that forms when platelets, proteins, and cells stick together.
  • Bloodborne Disease (Enfermedad transmitida por sangre): An illness caused by pathogens, like viruses or bacteria, that are present in human blood.

Key Biological and Medical Concepts

  1. GENE: One unit of the code inside cells which contains information on how to build a living thing.
  2. DETERMINE: To control or influence something.
  3. PROBABILITY: The level of possibility that something will happen or that something is true.
  4. INTERACTION: The reaction or communication between two or more things.
  5. PROTEIN: Chemicals that are in the cells of living things, which build and provide energy.
  6. IMPEDED: Made it difficult to do something.
  7. IMMUNE: Protected against a disease because of certain things in their blood.

Blood Type Dietary Recommendations

These dietary suggestions are often associated with specific blood types:

  • TYPE A: The Farmer. Eat a mostly vegetarian diet and avoid red meat.
  • TYPE B: The Nomad. Eat fruits, vegetables, and most meats.
  • TYPE A/B: The Enigma. This is a mix between types A and B.
  • TYPE O: The Hunter. Eat a high-protein diet with meat, fish, chicken, fruits, and vegetables.

Definitions of Illnesses and Medical States

  • LEUKEMIA: A type of cancer in which too many white blood cells are produced, causing weakness and sometimes other symptoms.
  • DISORDER: A condition or illness that causes problems with the way part of the body or brain works.
  • REMISSION: A period during which a serious illness improves for a time and the patient seems to get better.
  • PALLIATIVE CARE: A medical treatment that reduces pain without curing its cause.
  • DONOR: A person who gives blood or a part of his or her body to be used by doctors in medical treatment.
  • SICKLE CELL ANEMIA: A serious blood disease that is found mostly in people of African family origins.
  • HEREDITARY: Given to a child by its parents before it is born (passed down genetically).
  • CHOLESTEROL: A fatty substance found in most tissues of the body which is linked to a higher risk of heart disease if found in excess.

Common Symptoms and Related Ailments

Symptom Vocabulary (English/Spanish)

  • Itch (Comezón)
  • Shivery (Estremecedor)
  • Drowsy (Somnoliento)
  • Restless (Inquieto/a)
  • Dizzy (Mareado/a)
  • Coughing (Toser)
  • Sneezing (Estornudar)
  • Wheezing (Sibilancias)
  • Sweating (Sudoración)
  • Vomiting
  • Fainting (Desmayo)
  • Diarrhea
  • A runny nose (Escurrimiento nasal)
  • A splitting headache (Terrible dolor de cabeza)
  • A high temperature (Fiebre alta)

Symptom Scenarios and Diagnoses

  1. “I’m covered in red spots and I feel itchy all over.” — Chicken Pox
  2. “I feel weak and shivery, I’ve got a temperature, and I keep sweating.” — The Flu
  3. “I’ve got a runny nose and I keep sneezing all the time. Whenever I go out in the garden, my eyes become itchy.” — An Allergy
  4. “I can’t fall asleep at night; I feel too restless.” — Insomnia
  5. “Ever since I got a cat, I’ve been coughing and wheezing.” — An Allergy
  6. “I’ve got a splitting headache every time there is a change in temperature.” — A Migraine
  7. “Whenever I go up an escalator, I start to feel dizzy. Sometimes it’s so bad I almost faint.” — Vertigo

Medical Aids and Corresponding Injuries

  1. Crutches: A broken leg
  2. A sling: A broken arm
  3. Stitches: A deep cut
  4. A Band-Aid (US) / Plaster (UK): A small cut
  5. An ice pack: A bruise
  6. A neck brace: A whiplash injury
  7. A wheelchair: A broken back

Lifestyle Choices: Healthy vs. Unhealthy

A Healthy Lifestyle

  • Eat wholesome, nutritious food.
  • Have a positive outlook on life.
  • Drink alcohol in moderation.
  • Go for regular check-ups.

An Unhealthy Lifestyle

  • Avoid exercise and stay indoors all day.
  • Drink alcohol excessively.
  • Pig out on junk food and chocolate.
  • Sleep irregular hours.
  • Take on too many duties at home and at work.

Health-Related Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verbs from Lifestyle Expressions

Which phrasal verbs in the expressions above mean:

  1. To accept (a responsibility): Take on
  2. To consume/do less of something: Cut down on
  3. To exercise: Work out
  4. To eat too much of something: Pig out

Completing Definitions (Infinitive Form)

  1. To catch an illness from someone or something: To pick up
  2. To faint: To pass out
  3. To stop eating/drinking something in your diet: To cut out
  4. To recover from an illness (e.g., a cold or the flu): To get over
  5. To start to suffer from an illness (e.g., a cold or the flu): To come down with
  6. To become conscious again: To come to
  7. To vomit: To throw up

Discussion Points on Modern Health

1. Do you think current lifestyles are healthier than 100 years ago?

It could be, because some people are more up-to-date on health information and exercise more.

2. How easy is it to have a healthy lifestyle nowadays?

It may be easy, but it depends on whether the person is willing to make the effort.

3. Should you always see a doctor when you come down with something?

Yes, to ensure adequate treatment and avoid self-medication.

4. Have you ever picked up an illness when traveling abroad?

No, never, but never say never.